Seamlessly transferring a communication

ABSTRACT

Seamlessly transferring a communication. At least one communication is established between a first device and a second device. The at least one communication is transferred from the second device to a third device without interrupting the at least one communication and without disconnecting the at least one communication from the first device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority and is a continuation of the co-pendingpatent application Ser. No. 12/685,396, Attorney Docket Number TNGO-003,entitled “SEAMLESSLY TRANSFERRING A COMMUNICATION,” with filing dateJan. 11, 2010, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, a primary form of communication was a telephonecommunication using the public switched telephone network (PSTN).Communications technology currently provides several different types ofdevices used to communicate and a single device may have more than onechannel for communicating. For example, a user may have access toseveral devices including a personal computer system, a handheld mobiledevice, and a telephone all of which may be used for communicating.Additionally, a device such as a mobile device may have several channelsfor communications such as a wireless card, a cellular connection,WiMax, etc. These devices, and the channels used by these devices, maycommunicate with other devices via audio and/or video or other types ofcommunications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of example environments of seamlesslytransferring a communication in accordance with embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of an example environment ofseamlessly transferring a communication in accordance with embodimentsof the present technology.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of example environments of seamlesslytransferring a communication in accordance with embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for seamlesslytransferring a communication in accordance with embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for seamlesslytransferring a communication in accordance with embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example computer system upon whichembodiments of the present technology may be implemented.

The drawings referred to in this description of embodiments should beunderstood as not being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the presenttechnology, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the technology will be described in conjunction withvarious embodiment(s), it will be understood that they are not intendedto limit the present technology to these embodiments. On the contrary,the present technology is intended to cover alternatives, modificationsand equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope ofthe various embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

Furthermore, in the following description of embodiments, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present technology. However, the present technologymay be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not beendescribed in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of thepresent embodiments.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present descriptionof embodiments, discussions utilizing terms such as “establishing,”“transferring,” “adjusting,” “receiving,” “identifying,” or the like,refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similarelectronic computing device. The computer system or similar electroniccomputing device, such as a telephone or handheld mobile device,manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic)quantities within the computer system's registers and memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thecomputer system memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission, or display devices. Embodiments of the present technologyare also well suited to the use of other computer systems such as, forexample, optical and mechanical computers.

Overview of Discussion

Embodiments of the present technology are for seamlessly transferring acommunication. A single user may be capable of using severalcommunication devices simultaneously. A communication device may becapable of several types of communications, including but not limitedto, real-time audio and/or video communication, a text message, apicture, data or any other form of electronic communication wherein thecommunication is sent and received via electronic communication devices.A communication device is defined to be an electronic device capable ofsending and receiving communications over a connection. A connection maybe and Internet connection and may be a wired connection, such as anEthernet connection, or a wireless connection. Communication devices mayinclude, but are not limited to, telephones, computer systems, netbooks,notebooks, television, hand held devices, mobile devices, smart phones,cellular phones, personal digital assistants, the Kindle® wirelessreading device, or any device capable of sending and receiving data overa network. The present technology allows a user to login and be usingseveral devices to communicate and to seamlessly transfer acommunication between devices on command. For example, a user can loginto both a desktop personal computer and a handheld mobile device. Theuser can begin a communication on the desktop personal computer and thenduring the communication the user can seamlessly transfer thecommunication to the handheld mobile device and then leave the roomholding the handheld mobile device while continuing the communicationsession.

The present technology also allows a user to receive different portionsof a communication on different devices. For example, a user can receivethe audio portion of a communication at a mobile phone while receiving avideo portion of the communication at a television or a computer screen.Either portion may be dropped or added during such a communication.Similarly, a communication that has split different portions of thecommunication and sent them to different devices may be transferred to adevice where both portions of the communication are picked up at onedevice.

Traditionally, a user did not have many communications alternatives tousing a telephone to communicate via the public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN). Currently, a user may have many alternatives.Additionally, a user may have more than one device available forcommunication. For example, a user may have a telephone, a smart phonewith channels such as WiFi, cellular and WiMax and a personal computersystem connected to the Internet with the ability to communicate viaVoice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The different devices may havedifferent abilities, capabilities and channels for communication. Forexample, a personal computer system may have a large display and a widebandwidth for communication, whereas a smart phone may have a smalldisplay and a narrow bandwidth for communication.

Embodiments of the present technology allow a user to begin acommunication using one device over one channel and then switch toanother channel or another device without interrupting or dropping thecommunication. In one embodiment, the present technology allows a userto add or drop different portions of a multi-media communication. A usermay begin a communication using audio only and then add video to thecommunication and then later drop the video. In one embodiment, thecommunication is a one-to-one communication meaning one devicecommunicates with only one other device. In one embodiment, thecommunication may be a multi party communication where multiple devicesare able to simultaneously communicate with each other while allowing auser to transfer the communication from a first device to a seconddevice.

Embodiments of the present technology also allow a user to transfer acommunication from one channel of a device to another channel of thesame device. For example, a user may perform a voice communication usinga personal computer via a PSTN channel. During the voice communicationthe user or the computer system may transfer the voice communication toa VoIP channel on the computer system. Such a transfer may be performedbased on criteria such as the cost of one channel over another or therelative quality of one channel over another. In one embodiment, onechannel is used for the audio portion of a communication and anotherchannel is used for the video portion of the same communication. Achannel is defined as a means for communication. It should beappreciated that a channel may be, but is not limited to, Ethernet,PSTN, 3G or International Mobile Telecommunications-2000, WiFi, WiMax,etc.

Embodiments of Seamlessly Transferring a Communication

With reference now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of environments forseamlessly transferring a communication. Environments 100 and 150include first device 105, second device 110, third device 115, fourthdevice 120, communication lines 125, 130, 135, 140, and 145.Environments 100 and 150 comprise components that may or may not be usedwith different embodiments of the present technology and should not beconstrued to limit the present technology.

In one embodiment, environment 100 includes first device 105, seconddevice 110, third device 115, and fourth device 120. In one embodiment,first device 105, second device 110, third device 115, and fourth device120 are communication devices used to send and receive communications.It should be appreciated that first device 105, second device 110, thirddevice 115, and fourth device 120 may be electronic devices capable ofconnecting to a network including the Internet and may be capable ofsending and receiving various types of communications including, audio,video, text messages, pictures, etc. Environment 100 depicts amulti-party call where first device 105, second device 110, and fourthdevice 120 are each in simultaneous communication with each other asdemonstrated by communication lines 125, 130 and 135. In one embodiment,the communication may only include first device 105 and second device110 in a one to one communication that would be demonstrated bycommunication line 125.

In one embodiment, during the communication between first device 105,second device 110, and fourth device 120 it may be desirable for thecommunication at second device 110 to be transferred to third device115. In an embodiment where the communication is to be transferred tothird device 115, a pick-up message is sent to third device 115. Thepick-up operation then proceeds by sending the communication to thirddevice 115 and stopping the communication at second device 110. Itshould be appreciated that a client application may be installed on eachdevice to enable the functionality of the present technology. It shouldalso be appreciated that a client application may not be installed on astandard telephone operating on the PSTN. In one embodiment, whentransferring to or away from a telephone on the PSTN, the pick-upmessage would be to ring the phone.

Environment 150 depicts a communication that has been transferred tothird device 115. In one embodiment, the same user that was receivingand sending the communication at second device 110 in environment 100 isthe same user sending and receiving the communication at third device115 in environment 150. Environment 150 also depicts communication lines140 and 145 to demonstrate that first device 105 and fourth device 120are in communication with third device 115. It should be appreciatedthat in a one to one call between first device 105 and third device 115,environment 150 would not depict fourth device 120 and communicationlines 130 and 145.

With reference now to FIG. 1A, a block diagram of environments forseamlessly transferring a communication. Environment 160 depicts firstdevice 105, second device 110, third device 115, fourth device 120, node155, communication lines 165, 170, 175, and 180, connector module 102,transfer module 104, information module 106 and parameter adjustermodule 108. Environment 160 comprises components that may or may not beused with different embodiments of the present technology and should notbe construed to limit the present technology.

In one embodiment, node 155 is a computer system that is used as acentral point for all communications between first device 105, seconddevice 110, third device 115, and fourth device 120. In one embodiment,node 155 is a server computer system that is in place to manage andrelay all communications whether one to one communications or multiparty communications. In one embodiment, node 155 represents a pluralityof central nodes used to manage communications between any number ofdevices. It should be appreciated that node 155 is not required for thepresent technology to operate, but may be present is some embodiments.In one embodiment, node 155 is not present and each device inenvironment 160 that is participating in communications would comprisecomponents of node 155. In this manner, environment 160 would functionsimilar to a peer-to-peer computer environment.

In one embodiment, node 155 provides each device with informationregarding the communication. Such information may include, other devicesto which the communication may be transferred, capabilities of thedevices, devices currently being used, etc. Capabilities of the devicesmay comprise the bandwidth limits of the device, the ability to displayvideo or audio, and the ability to capture video or audio. In oneembodiment, node 155 is not required to provide this information andinstead this information is managed by the devices themselves or othercomputer systems in a distributed system such as a peer-to-peer computerenvironment. In such an embodiment, a distributed hash table with theinformation is maintained by multiple peer computer systems.

In one embodiment, node 155 comprises connector module 102. In oneembodiment, connector module 102 is configured to establishcommunication between at least two devices. It should be appreciatedthat connector module 102 may be a part of or attached to first device105, second device 110, third device 115, and/or fourth device 120.

In one embodiment, node 155 comprises transfer module 104. In oneembodiment, transfer module 104 is configured to transfer acommunication between second device 110 and third device 115. It shouldbe appreciated that transfer module 104 is capable of seamlesslytransferring a communication from a device to another device withoutdropping or interrupting the communication. It should be appreciatedthat transfer module 104 may be a part of or attached to first device105, second device 110, third device 115, and/or fourth device 120.

In one embodiment, environment 160 comprises information module 106attached to or part of third device 115. In one embodiment, informationmodule 106 is configured to communicate information regarding thecapabilities of third device 115. For example, information module 106may communicate to node 155 the bandwidth available to third device 115for the communications. In one embodiment, environment 155 does notcomprise node 155 and information module 106 would communicate directlywith another device such as first device 105. It should be appreciatedthat first device 105, second device 110, third device 115, and fourthdevice 120 may each comprise an information module similar toinformation module 106.

In one embodiment, environment 160 comprises parameter adjuster module108. In one embodiment, parameter adjuster module 108 is configured toadjust a parameter of the communication between at least two devicesbased on the capabilities of one of the devices. In an embodiment thatcomprises node 155, node 155 would determine parameters of thecommunication and adjust the parameters of the communication based onthe information received from information module 106. For example,information module 106 may communicate to node 155 that third device 115has a narrow bandwidth available for the communication. Node 155 wouldthen adjust a parameter of the communication to reduce the amount ofbandwidth required for the communication. The adjusted parameter wouldthen be communicated to each of the devices participating in thecommunication. In an embodiment that does not comprise node 155, eachdevice may comprise a component similar to parameter adjuster module108. It should be appreciated that the resolution, quality and codecs ofthe communication may be adjusted.

In one embodiment, a communication is established between first device105 and second device 110 that comprises both an audio and a videoportion and the present technology transfers the communication fromsecond device 110 to third device 115. In this example, third device 115may not have the ability to display the video portion of thecommunication. In one embodiment, the video portion of the communicationwould be dropped from the communication and the audio portion wouldcontinue seamlessly without interruption. In one embodiment, the videoportion of the communication would be transferred to fourth device 120.In such an embodiment, the video and audio portions of the communicationwould be sent and received from first device 105 but only the audioportion would be sent and received at third device 115 and only thevideo portion of the communication would be sent and received at fourthdevice 120.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an environment forseamlessly transferring a communication. Environment 200 includes firstdevice 205, second device 210, first channel 220, second channel 225,third channel 230 and communication line 215. Environments 200 and 250comprise components that may or may not be used with differentembodiments of the present technology and should not be construed tolimit the present technology.

In one embodiment, first device 205 and second device 210 arecommunication devices for sending and receiving communications asdescribed above. First channel 220, second channel 225, and thirdchannel 230 depict channels over which first device 205 may send andreceive a communication. In one embodiment, channels are multiple typesof connectivity for communication. Examples of channels include, but arenot limited to, WiFi, 3G, WiMax, Ethernet, VoIP, PSTN, etc. Somechannels may require the use of an audio or video codec such as Speex orG.711 to compress the communication for transmission over an Internetprotocol connection. It should be appreciated that the communication mayinclude a voice and/or video stream over the same channel. In oneembodiment, audio and video streams may be combined for playback on areceiving device or stored in a storage server for later retrieval andplayback.

Environment 200 depicts a communication between first device 205 withthree communication channels and second device 210 where communicationline 215 depicts the communication over first channel 220. The presenttechnology allows an in progress communication to be transferred fromone channel to another in the same device. Environment 250 depictscommunication line 215 after it has been transferred from first channel220, as depicted in environment 200, to second channel 225. In oneembodiment, the transferring from one channel to second channel iscontrolled by a user. In one embodiment, the transferring from onechannel to second channel is controlled by a service provider. In oneembodiment, the transferring from one channel to second channel iscontrolled by a combination of user and service provider.

Operation

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating process 300 for seamlesslytransferring a communication, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. In one embodiment, process 300 is a computerimplemented method that is carried out by processors and electricalcomponents under the control of computer usable and computer executableinstructions. The computer usable and computer executable instructionsreside, for example, in data storage features such as computer usablevolatile and non-volatile memory. However, the computer usable andcomputer executable instructions may reside in any type of computerusable storage medium. In one embodiment, process 300 is performed byfirst device 105, second device 110, third device 115, and/or fourthdevice 120 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the methods may reside in acomputer usable storage medium having instructions embodied therein thatwhen executed cause a computer system to perform the method.

At 302, at least one communication is established between a first deviceand a second device. In one embodiment, the communication may be a voicecall where the first device is a telephone on the PSTN network and thesecond device is a computer system using VoIP. The at least onecommunication may also be a communication in the form of video, a textmessage, a picture, electronic data, etc. The first and second devicemay be electronic devices capable of sending and receiving acommunication over a network such as the Internet.

At 304, the at least one communication is transferred from the seconddevice to a third device without interrupting the at least onecommunication and without disconnecting at least one communication fromthe first device. In one embodiment, the third device is a handheldmobile device that communicates over a cellular network.

At 306, a parameter of the at least one communication is adjusted basedon the capabilities of the third device. For example, the resolution ofa video codec may be reduced for a third device that has a lower amountof bandwidth available than the second device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating process 400 for seamlesslytransferring a communication, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. In one embodiment, process 400 is a computerimplemented method that is carried out by processors and electricalcomponents under the control of computer usable and computer executableinstructions. The computer usable and computer executable instructionsreside, for example, in data storage features such as computer usablevolatile and non-volatile memory. However, the computer usable andcomputer executable instructions may reside in any type of computerusable storage medium. In one embodiment, process 400 is performed byfirst device 205 of FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the methods may reside ina computer usable storage medium having instructions embodied thereinthat when executed cause a computer system to perform the method.

At 402, a communication is received at a first device using a firstchannel. In one embodiment, the first device is computer system and thecommunication is an audio communication using VoIP and the first channelis an Ethernet connection to the Internet.

At 404, a plurality of channels are identified which are available tothe first device. For example, a computer system may have the ability toconnect to a network using Ethernet, Wifi, 3G or PSTN.

At 406, the communication is transferred from the first channel to asecond channel, wherein the second channel is selected based onpredetermined criteria. In one embodiment, the first channel is anEthernet connection and the second channel is a 3G connection. In oneembodiment, the criteria are based on a quality comparison of saidplurality of channels. For example, an algorithm may be used to optimizethe quality of the call taking into account pre-defined metrics,measured statistics or a combination of the two. In one embodiment, thecriteria are based on a cost of said plurality of channels. For example,an algorithm may be used to minimize the financial cost of the channelselected based on the user's profile to select the optimum channel.

In one embodiment, the media of the communication may be adapted byadjusting the encoding to match the requirements or capabilities of thechannel selected.

Example Computer System Environment

With reference now to FIG. 5, portions of the technology for providing acommunication pathway composed of computer-readable andcomputer-executable instructions that reside, for example, incomputer-usable media of a computer system. That is, FIG. 5 illustratesone example of a type of computer that can be used to implementembodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example computer system 500 used in accordancewith embodiments of the present technology. It is appreciated thatsystem 500 of FIG. 5 is an example only and that the present technologycan operate on or within a number of different computer systemsincluding general purpose networked computer systems, embedded computersystems, routers, switches, server devices, user devices, variousintermediate devices/artifacts, stand alone computer systems, mobilephones, personal data assistants, televisions, and the like. As shown inFIG. 5, computer system 500 of FIG. 5 is well adapted to havingperipheral computer readable media 502 such as, for example, a floppydisk, a compact disc, and the like coupled thereto.

System 500 of FIG. 5 includes an address/data bus 504 for communicatinginformation, and a processor 506A coupled to bus 504 for processinginformation and instructions. As depicted in FIG. 5, system 500 is alsowell suited to a multi-processor environment in which a plurality ofprocessors 506A, 506B, and 506C are present. Conversely, system 500 isalso well suited to having a single processor such as, for example,processor 506A. Processors 506A, 506B, and 506C may be any of varioustypes of microprocessors. System 500 also includes data storage featuressuch as a computer usable volatile memory 508, e.g. random access memory(RAM), coupled to bus 504 for storing information and instructions forprocessors 506A, 506B, and 506C.

System 500 also includes computer usable non-volatile memory 510, e.g.read only memory (ROM), coupled to bus 504 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processors 406A, 406B, and 406C. Alsopresent in system 500 is a data storage unit 512 (e.g., a magnetic oroptical disk and disk drive) coupled to bus 504 for storing informationand instructions. System 500 also includes an optional alpha-numericinput device 514 including alphanumeric and function keys coupled to bus504 for communicating information and command selections to processor506A or processors 506A, 506B, and 506C. System 500 also includes anoptional cursor control device 516 coupled to bus 504 for communicatinguser input information and command selections to processor 506A orprocessors 506A, 506B, and 506C. System 500 of the present embodimentalso includes an optional display device 518 coupled to bus 504 fordisplaying information.

Referring still to FIG. 5, optional display device 518 of FIG. 5 may bea liquid crystal device, cathode ray tube, plasma display device orother display device suitable for creating graphic images andalpha-numeric characters recognizable to a user. Optional cursor controldevice 516 allows the computer user to dynamically signal the movementof a visible symbol (cursor) on a display screen of display device 518.Many implementations of cursor control device 516 are known in the artincluding a trackball, mouse, touch pad, joystick or special keys onalpha-numeric input device 514 capable of signaling movement of a givendirection or manner of displacement. Alternatively, it will beappreciated that a cursor can be directed and/or activated via inputfrom alpha-numeric input device 514 using special keys and key sequencecommands.

System 500 is also well suited to having a cursor directed by othermeans such as, for example, voice commands. System 500 also includes anI/O device 520 for coupling system 500 with external entities. Forexample, in one embodiment, I/O device 520 is a modem for enabling wiredor wireless communications between system 500 and an external networksuch as, but not limited to, the Internet. A more detailed discussion ofthe present technology is found below.

Referring still to FIG. 5, various other components are depicted forsystem 500. Specifically, when present, an operating system 522,applications 524, modules 526, and data 528 are shown as typicallyresiding in one or some combination of computer usable volatile memory508, e.g. random access memory (RAM), and data storage unit 512.However, it is appreciated that in some embodiments, operating system522 may be stored in other locations such as on a network or on a flashdrive; and that further, operating system 522 may be accessed from aremote location via, for example, a coupling to the Internet. In oneembodiment, the present technology, for example, is stored as anapplication 524 or module 526 in memory locations within RAM 508 andmemory areas within data storage unit 512. The present technology may beapplied to one or more elements of described system 500.

System 500 also includes one or more signal generating and receivingdevice(s) 530 coupled with bus 504 for enabling system 500 to interfacewith other electronic devices and computer systems. Signal generatingand receiving device(s) 530 of the present embodiment may include wiredserial adaptors, modems, and network adaptors, wireless modems, andwireless network adaptors, and other such communication technology. Thesignal generating and receiving device(s) 530 may work in conjunctionwith one or more communication interface(s) 532 for coupling informationto and/or from system 500. Communication interface 532 may include aserial port, parallel port, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet port,antenna, or other input/output interface. Communication interface 532may physically, electrically, optically, or wirelessly (e.g. via radiofrequency) couple system 500 with another device, such as a cellulartelephone, radio, or computer system.

The computing system 500 is only one example of a suitable computingenvironment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to thescope of use or functionality of the present technology. Neither shouldthe computing environment 500 be interpreted as having any dependency orrequirement relating to any one or combination of components illustratedin the example computing system 500.

Embodiments of the present technology may be described in the generalcontext of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules,being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Embodiments of the present technology may also be practiced indistributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remoteprocessing devices that are linked through a communications network. Ina distributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote computer-storage media including memory-storagedevices.

Although the subject matter is described in a language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

1. A computer implemented method for seamlessly transferring acommunication, said method comprising: receiving a communication at afirst device using a first channel; identifying a plurality of channelswhich are available to said first device; and transferring saidcommunication from said first channel to a second channel, wherein saidsecond channel is selected based on a criteria.
 2. The computerimplemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein said criteria is basedon a quality comparison of said plurality of channels.
 3. The computerimplemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein said criteria is basedon a cost of said plurality of channels.
 4. The computer implementedmethod as recited in claim 1 wherein said communication is an audiocommunication.
 5. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 1wherein said communication is a video communication.
 6. The computerimplemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of saidplurality of channels is an Ethernet channel.
 7. The computerimplemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of saidplurality of channels is a WiFi channel.
 8. The computer implementedmethod as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality ofchannels is a WiMax channel.
 9. The computer implemented method asrecited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of channels isa cellular network channel.
 10. A computer-usable storage medium havinginstructions embodied therein for causing a computer system to performthe steps of seamlessly transferring a communication: receiving acommunication at a first device using a first channel; identifying aplurality of channels which are available to said first device; andtransferring said communication from said first channel to a secondchannel, wherein said second channel is selected based on a criteria.11. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said criteriais based on a quality comparison of said plurality of channels.
 12. Thecomputer-usable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said criteria isbased on a cost of said plurality of channels.
 13. The computer-usablestorage medium of claim 10 wherein said communication is an audiocommunication.
 14. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 10wherein said communication is a video communication.
 15. Thecomputer-usable storage medium of claim 10 wherein at least one of saidplurality of channels is an Ethernet channel.
 16. The computer-usablestorage medium of claim 10 wherein at least one of said plurality ofchannels is a WiFi channel.
 17. The computer-usable storage medium ofclaim 10 wherein at least one of said plurality of channels is a WiMaxchannel.